The Impact Of Information Technology On Public Administration

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Information technology, that assortment of technology that enables the conversion of data into information, has had an enormous impact on the field of public administration and its theoretical foundation. This article explores five of them. It begins with a discussion of one of the primary impacts of information technology on public administration theory: the development of systems theory and its descendants including the study of complex systems, chaos, and complexity theory. The importance of information technology in decision-making is explored next. Does information technology free us from the limits of bounded rationality or are we simply overwhelmed by the volume of information available via new sources, such as the Internet and the World …show more content…

This article explores five of them. It begins with a discussion of one of the primary impacts of information technology on public administration theory, the development of systems theory and its descendants. The importance of information technology in decision-making is explored next. The third role examined is the use of information technology as a research tool to make solvable previously intractable problems. The significance of information technology as a change agent that calls for revision of other theoretical postulates is investigated. Finally, learning by doing and the manner through which practice informs theory is briefly …show more content…

Information technology fundamentally alters forms and modes of communication. As the traditional forms of communication change, it is likely that what we theoretically know about organizations and human relations will need to be revised and updated. The role of information technology in organizational change and behaviour must be revisited.
Our basic understanding of fundamental political and legal processes is called into question by the impacts of information technology. Old ways of thinking about democracy, accountability, and social equity may no longer apply given the impacts of information technology. Theories for understanding "electronic" democracy and new images of a democratic information society must be forged. Rights to privacy, computers and their role in political activism, and government responsibility in the information age are all in need of

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